The Whole Time
by Cerulean Pen
Summary: He's been living his life, he's seen everything, much more then a toy has ever seen, but what he didn't realize was that someone he needed the most had been right in front of him the whole time…he just didn't look past it.


The Whole Time

Summary: He's been living his life, he's seen everything, much more then a toy has ever seen, but what he didn't realize was that someone he needed the most had been right in front of him the whole time…he just didn't look past it.

English Friendship/Family Rated: K+ Chapters:1 Words: Woody & Dolly

_Time Frame: Two months after Toy Story 3_

_Bonnie's Age: Four years old_

Woody.

If you had lived with him, you would know him in a heartbeat. He was a cowboy, he was brave, he would never, ever give up, he was smart…but, like everyone, he could get jealous, he could make mistakes, but, overall, he was the leader and he was respected, through thick and thin.

To Buzz, Woody had gone from an enemy to his best friend. When the space ranger had first arrived, the cowboy had been, of course, very jealous. Buzz was convinced that he was a true spaceman, so he didn't believe a word Woody said. It took a near death situation for Buzz to realize that he was a toy and for Woody to learn to accept Buzz. Ever since, the two were best of friends, taking on the job of leading the rest of the toys, side by side, for infinity and beyond.

To Jessie, Woody had gone through her status as well. He was the last part of their collectible circle, but he was also the only person who could crack her open and reveal what she as hiding. At first, Jessie had almost hated him, for thinking that he would make her go back into storage for the rest of her life. But, after she explained her old owner, and her abandonment issues, they had developed something important. Woody would always be like her protective older brother, who would never let anything ever happen to her. That didn't mean they didn't have their fair share of arguments, which resembled those of feuding siblings. They were linked though, two cowboys (and cowgirl) who could always find the common ground to connect on.

To Bullseye, Woody was his owner, his rider, which no horse was complete without. Ever since the first day the horse had been reunited with his rider, the non-talking, puppy-like Bullseye had been extremely loyal to him. To bring out the softest side of the cowboy, Bullseye could always be there for that.

To the other toys, the Potatoheads, Rex, Hamm, Slink, Barbie, Buttercup, Mr. Prickle Pants, the Peas, Trixie, Chuckles: Woody was there overall leader. They put their trust in him, thinking he would never let them down, because he had brought them into the home that they loved.

But, there was someone he had left out, someone he had never really thought twice about, someone he just included in his new list of family. She had always noticed him, she was always there to help him, she was almost female chief in command to him: he just never acknowledged her as the most important to the group.

She was something, she had been there the whole time, offering her hand, someone to guide him through those tough times: in turn, he had saved her from equally sticky situations. It just always ended in awkward thanks, and a hasty turn around, losing their selves in whatever would come across at the same time.

She was someone who had been there the whole time, her Googly eyes wide, taking in whatever he said. Someone who cared, someone who could listen, someone who would always have advice on what to do next. But, at the same time, she was also steady, confident, and sarcastic, which gave her the perfect combination of someone he was looking for.

On empty cold nights like these, she could always feel the mattress shift, and she would open that one eye to see him by the window. She had never felt it was her place to approach him, so she simply watched, feeling positively protected by the Sheriff. It was like he was the Guardian of the Room, but she could see past those eyes: there was hurt.

No hero has the perfect life: even the bravest have had their downfalls. She knew everything single one of them, starting with anything that to do with Bo to passing hands with his owner so many times. But it was the kind of hurt she could relate to, for a soft doll to be hit so many times. It was okay though: if any toy could hide it, it would be him.

She knew though, that nothing goes well if it is hidden for too long. There had to be a time to approach him, so when a night as chilled, barren, and desolate as this one, she could almost guarantee he would be at the window. This was her chance, she was about to find out what had been bothering him.

"Cowboy?"

Her nickname for him was immediately recognized, his head turning around in a defensive away, relaxing a bit when he realized it was her. "Hey," he called back, his gaze turning back to out the window.

She still couldn't figure it out, so she started across the freezing floorboards, also focusing on the window, just in case there was someone or something out there he was looking at. She climbed up onto the windowsill with him, finding that the glass-paned window surface even colder. Freezing rain had started to fall down now, making the area like a polar region.

"What's on your mind?"

"Stuff."

"C'mon, stuff isn't the answer: we're made of stuffing, so tell me what's really bugging you."

He sighed, knowing that she wasn't going to stop until he finally admitted what was "bugging" him. "You got me: it's Bo."

"Bo." The word, when trying to make it sound like she was extremely concerned, which she was, it came out flat. Of course, she had heard about the porcelain doll, and of course, she did care. There was just something, something that bothered her when she tried to talk about the gone porcelain doll. "Bo…"

"I just don't feel that it's right for us to leave Andy's house without bringing Bo along: she was so…important to all of us," he started, finding the words rushing out of his mouth like a river. "I mean, think about it, she's been part of our family since the beginning, and now, we've all moved on past our first owner, but we've left her behind."

She cast her eyes at the stars, unable to look him directly in the eyes. "You may have moved on past your owner," she started, hoping there wasn't any sting in her words, "but have you moved past Bo?"

The words came as a surprise, but it didn't exactly hurt: more like shocked him as he was suddenly thrust into realization. The more he thought about it, the more he found himself rethinking the matter. He hadn't really made himself move past the fact that Bo was gone. She was really, truly gone…he had simply just never really thought about it. "I-I don't know."

She waited a moment, while they continued to watch the skies, the frozen rain turning to tiny pieces of hail. "It's hard to move past someone you love," she began, "but cowboy, once you are able to move past, you can open your eyes to the future, and…open up what you've been hiding all this time."

He was quiet, rethinking her words, waiting to see if she had anything else to add to it. She was right, but it was so hard to let go of someone who had been permanently glued to his heart.

"You don't have to let her go forever, but if you're able to realize that she isn't here in the physical sense, you can still hold her," she finished, feeling awkwardly preachy, instead of talking to a friend. "I bet everyone else misses her just as much as you do, and if I knew her, I probably would too."

She couldn't really take his reaction, whatever it may be, so she slid off of the windowsill, getting back into bed, not looking back, just in case.

He watched her shadow disappear off of the wall, cast by the rosy yellow glow of the nightlight. He swallowed, her words setting in, feeling the full, philosophical impact. More then anything, he wanted to go after her, but he didn't, just sighed.

What they didn't know was that, even though he'll always have Bo in his heart, she was someone else for him to love. She didn't know it at first, but she finally realized it, and they liked it.

And what he didn't know, was that what he needed, had been there the whole time. And that reassurance had a name:

Dolly.

**Well, it was one of my "eh" stories, in my opinion, and I suck for not updating "Lock and Key" forever, but I wanted to write this. *Smiles* C'mon, please review!**


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